catbirdseat Posted August 24, 2007 Posted August 24, 2007 (edited) Pictures from a wet day on Dreamer Edited August 24, 2007 by catbirdseat
chucK Posted August 24, 2007 Posted August 24, 2007 Silent Running is a great route to teach someone slab climbing. p1: lead it and let the student follow. Tell them to find the steepest section they calibrate and see what they can trust their feet on, with the safety of a toprope. p2: student lead, crux moves down low, well protected. p3: the pitch that Nelson says someone like, "requires catlike agility" Newbie gets to follow, test their new skills. p4: will feel easy after previous pitch. student lead. I think this one's got a major runout on easy terrain, but it may be the next one. p5: throwaway 5.7 p6: graduation pitch. featureless slab, trust your feet climbing. Bolts at perfect length. They pass if they lead to the anchors without diving for the safety of the bushes. p7: not particularly slab oriented but does have the toughest slab moves of the climb (basically toproped by bolts even on lead). Then it gives you the Darrington psychout. A fingercrack next to some doable 5.8 slab. You get used to the actual holds in the fingercrack and are feeling all, la de da, this is easy then the crack pinches up and so does your sphincter. If you just climb the slab not even using the crack it'd be about 5.8, but once you get used to the holds, you hate to see them leave, and you whimper. Anyway... fun climb. unless it's wet
mattp Posted August 25, 2007 Author Posted August 25, 2007 See you up there. Take the Clear Creek Road about five miles from the pavement on the Mountain Loop Highway (the Clear Creek road is a gravel road, just before but more or less accross from the Clear Creek Campground, about 2 miles SE of Darrington - #2060 or something). Take the left fork and look for us on the right, about a quarter mile after the bridge over Clear Creek.
marylou Posted August 25, 2007 Posted August 25, 2007 Sorry I'll have to miss this one, it looks like a boodle of fun. If you guys get lonely, go up the Suiattle drainage and look for the drenched Trail Blazers with boxes of baby fishes on their backs. I'll be the one smiling. No fair trying to catch them before they get to be eating size.
mattp Posted August 27, 2007 Author Posted August 27, 2007 Sorry you missed it. The dedicated among us showed up for some fun in the sun and it turned out OK - Saturday at least. We converged on the campsite Friday night and after cocktails and a rousing song and dance number from brother James, followed by toasts to our special friend and a final nightcap, turned in for a long snooze in the cool mountain air. Saturday morning was kind of misty, but after a leisurely breakfast we headed up to Three O'Clock Rock armed for bear and opted for "Silent Running" figuring that, even if it was drippy, we could make it up the first five pitches. Mr. Strickland leads the way. It turned out the rock was totally dry even though it didn't look too promising at first. Crowds on the climb. We even climbed the last pitch which from the ground we had seen shrouded in fog and therefore had left behind the wide gear we thought we'd need for it. Last ascent of the first Jungle Pitch with little bolts. On the descent, we replaced four bolts that sorely needed replacing. There is no more mank on Silent Running except for a couple of 1/4" bolts with Leeper hangers on them as museum pieces along side the chains at a coupe of belays. A good Samaritan racking up Karma points. At the end of the day, we still had time left for more climbing so we headed over and climbed three pitches each of "'Till Broad Daylight" and "Cornucopia." These are excellent 5.8 and 5.10a outings. (Note the grade inflation I've given Cornucopia. It seemed pretty tricky for 5.9.) Saturday night was a wee bit wet, but we had a large canopy set up and the rain didn't dampen our spirits too much. Sunday didn't look too promising so we all got a chance to catch up on lost sleep. In the (late) morning, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and told jokes at the expense of certain cc.com posters who said they were going to attend but failed to do so. Mushroom omlettes for breakfast.
marylou Posted August 27, 2007 Posted August 27, 2007 Saturday night was a wee bit wet, and Sunday didn't look too promising Huddled in tent blasted by sideways rain until ohnoonhundred today before finally braving the weather to escape. Mission was accomplished, but I can't say the funnometer was exactly pegging redline. I think I'm ready for ski season now since summer seems to be over a little early this year.
mattp Posted August 27, 2007 Author Posted August 27, 2007 Are you one of those people who puts their skis away in March, just when the season starts to get really good, and then goes out rock skiing in the Fall, when the crags are often still dry and the crowds all gone? If anybody wants to go climbing at Darrington this Fall I've still got a few days left. The place is great, and deserves more attention.
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